Wamda Capital Announces Investment in Translation Platform Qordoba

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Wamda Capital, the early stage funding arm of Wamda, has announced investment in crowdsourced translation platform Qordoba.

Qordoba, which was founded by World Economic Forum Global Shaper May Habib last year, is a platform designed to deliver swift, high-quality translation services, accommodating high-volume customers while undercutting traditional agencies by up to 30-50%.

To do so, the platform works with a distributed team of linguists, now employing over 450 translators with expertise in relevant domains. Since its launch this past December, Qordoba has grown from translating 5,000 words a day to around 40,000 words a day, serving 12 clients and operating in over 20 countries in 15 time zones.

To ensure consistent quality, it uses a 3-step translation, editing, and proofreading process, while supporting customers with live chat on its online portal as well as APIs that can integrate with clients’ existing platforms.

Qordoba’s broader vision includes create hundreds of jobs in the Arab World, to counter rising unemployment while helping international companies break the language barrier and enter the region.

Wamda has worked to support that vision, not just with investment, but also by helping Qordoba to hire key personnel, develop scalable strategy, land clients, and surmount logistical and operational challenges.

“We're really excited to be in the Wamda family,” says May Habib. “Our team is very ambitious and we are entering new markets quite fast. Wamda's support is helping accelerate that progress.”

Qordoba will continue to face challenges as it looks to continue expanding and hiring around the world. As it does so, Wamda Capital, in keeping with Wamda’s 360 degree vision of support, will continue to provide advice and support for Qordoba, its online content community, and its aim to boost online Arabic content.

Wamda’s investment follows an angel round of funding that Qordoba closed earlier this year, from current and former partners of Intel Capital, CMEA Capital and the Mubadala Development Company, as well as Aramex CEO Fadi Ghandour.